One of the key tasks of state policy in the area of power grids is providing the population with a reliable and qualitative
power supply over the long-term. The Law on Electric Power establishes requirements governing the connection of all
residents to the power grids. According to statistics, Russia has about 120,000 low-population settlements with a population
of 200 people or less. That said, these types of settlements aren’t just found in remote areas of the Urals, Siberia and the
Far East. Villages with a population of no more than 50 inhabitants are also found in Central Russia. These population centers
are supported by the required critical infrastructure - including power grids, which is certainly necessary but requires massive
expenditures for its creation and maintenance. Moreover, due to the small volume of power consumption in settlements
like these, the grids supplying them accumulate big energy losses, which creates a significant drag on the indicators of local
power-grid companies and ultimately results in an increase in power rates being passed onto consumers.

In this connection, the following questions have come to the fore in terms of shaping new approaches to the energy supply
of such population centers:

In view of Russian specifics, could a combination of renewable energy sources - storage units (accumulators) and a diesel
generator forming a single power-supply system - be a cost-effective alternative to the existing energy-supply model for
remote and isolated low-intensity consumers? Do such domestic advancements and technologies exist that would be
capable of ensuring the stable and reliable power supply of low-population settlements? What kind of fine-tuning of the
regulatory framework is needed - at both the federal and regional levels - to allow for the development of local generation
on the basis of hybrid energy systems? Which best practices and international experiences in the energy supply of lowpopulation
settlements are applicable to Russia?

Moderator: George Kekelidze, Chairman of the Board, Association for Renewable Energy “EUROSOLAR Russia”

Participans:

Alexei Kaplun, RAO Energy Systems of the East

Anton Usachev, Deputy Director General Group of Companies "Hevel"

Evgeny Nikora, Deputy Governor of the Murmansk region

Anis Jouini, Director of the French National Institute of Solar Power (INES)

Armand Martin, Founder, POWERBLOX (Switzerland)

Basenko Oleg, Head of the Department of technological development and inovation projects "Rossetti"

Marion Perren, Director of the division of power systems of the French National Institute of Solar Energy "INES"

Andreas Drayzibener, Representative of the University of Applied Sciences of Zurich, director of the Association "Solar"

Klaus Thiessen - The creator of Technopark Berlin-Adlershof, a board member of "EUROSOLAR Russia"
Board

Nikolay Dyraev, First Deputy Minister of Housing and Energy of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)